Monday, July 23, 2012

Julia's Top Ten Most Vivid Book Worlds/Settings

Hey everyone! It’s Julia again. Are you sick of me yet? :) Today we get a special glimpse into one reason why we love the books we love: the settings and the worlds. A setting can make or break a book for me, especially if it is supposed to be in a world different then our own. World building is super important because it gets your readers invested in the story by bringing it to life in their minds. So let's take a look at 10 of my most vivid worlds/settings in books.

Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds/Settings in Books

1. The Magical World of Harry Potter
I dare anyone who has read these books not to include it on this list. JK Rowling goes into so much detail about each and every aspect of the magical world. I love how she even includes how they interact with the non-magic folk. Moving photos, enchanted objects, fireplace transportation, it is seriously not a world that can be forgotten. Plus with Pottermore slowly making each chapter available for exploration, the world is becoming even more alive.

2. Middle Earth
My high school age self would murder me if I didn’t put this on the list, and how could I not? Tolkien spent books upon books elaborating on the world he created. I mean hell, he even created languages! Evolved languages at that! Within his stories he creates a sense of place and a sense of history. I’ve read The Silmarillion, and in that book especially you can feel the depth of Middle Earth. Now, sometimes I get bored by the descriptions of rocks or trees, but let no one say that Tolkien did not create a vivid world!

3. The Seven Kingdoms
Currently, I am reading my way through Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka A Game of Thrones). I am not very far being about halfway through A Clash of Kings, so if you spoil me in the comments I may cry and then kick the shit out of... a pillow. Anyway, from what I’ve read so far, Martin’s world is reminiscent of Middle Earth meets the Middle Ages. I can see the castles; I can feel the struggle of the villagers. And then he mixes in the fantasy with the trees with faces or the fact that Winter is such a huge part of their lives. I can’t wait to finish writing this post so I can delve more into that world.

4. The Worlds of His Dark Materials
Oh, Pullman. Why must you tempt a young me with the animal visual representation of my soul? What would it be? Something portable I hope. The fact that Pullman creates not one but MANY different types of universes in his novels that all still slightly resemble the familiar is amazing. The thing I will remember the most though and always wish I knew is my daemon. I think he’s a panther, like Bagheera in the Jungle Book: calm most of the time, but can lash out if needed.

5. Panem
The Hunger Games are atrocious acts of cruelty set in a world of vanity and desolation. I could see the people of the capital with their gold skin and their awesome beards. I also felt the hopelessness and resigned assignation of the people of district 12. Wake up, go into the mines. It’s chilling how real this world feels.

6. All Steampunk Worlds Ever
Steampunk is an amazing thing. It takes something as intriguing as the Victorian era and adds technology. Most times they also add paranormal elements (I am looking at you, Soulless). The flying dirigibles, the steam powered everything, the pollution and Victorian morals. It is just so engaging! In addition to Soulless, The Iron Duke was amazing in this regard as well.

7. Gone with the Wind
When I have to think of one book all alone the created a vivid setting for me it would be Gone with the Wind. This book just keeps popping up on my lists, but it was impossible for me to keep off. As a child who grew up in the North, I had never read a book about the Civil War from a southern perspective. You never read about the fires and the tragedy from a personal perspective in a textbook. I remember the setting and surrounding times really stuck with me from this book.

8. Fatherland
This alternate reality fiction book is sort of a ‘what would have happened had the Nazi’s won the war’. It is a thriller and a mystery if I remember correctly, with fun espionage and running from the law and all those shenanigans. But the thing about this book was that I could see the world where the Nazi’s won. It was so vivid. I could wrap myself in the suppression and subjugation. It is a great book!

9. Homer’s Greece and Troy**
I remember being utterly enthralled by all the TV movies that I watched that were based on Ancient Greece and Troy (not to mention Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Catherine Zeta Jones Lucy Lawless as Xena). When I finally got around to reading the books, I was just as enraptured. Even the lyrical verse of The Iliad still had such vivid language you could just picture everything going on around you.

10. Romancelandia
I have read 156 historical romance novels since I started counting in 2008. If you add contemporaries its more like 200. I absolutely love the settings they give me. Some are more historically accurate than others in actual settings, but taken as a whole it is a fun place to be. The ratio of Dukes and other titled members to the other people of the world is way off. Everyone has an interesting story and a happy ending. Plus there is the other aspects of Romancelandia, like paranormal and contemporary. And begrudgingly I’d even give a small corner of this world to the 50 Shades club. In general though Romancelandia is a place where hard work and strife always pay off in the end by finding the one you love.

So tell me, Readers, what are your most vivid settings? What are your worlds that you can't miss? Link it up below. And I promise you'll get a new list writer next week ;)

**Footnote: I seruoisly need to get more sleep and learn the difference between an movie set in the 50s and the country. And the difference between 's' and 'c'. Greece is now spelled correctly. Thanks to all who corrected me. Also, Lucy Lawless is Xena. I have no idea where Jones came from. Sleeplessness probably. Thanks again for pointing that out!

I have Middle Earth, Hogwarts, and Westeros on my list as well. There's no way that I could NOT include Middle Earth and Hogwarts on mine. And some of the places in Westeros are so iconic: the wall, Harrenhal, etc., that I needed to include that one too. I definitely agree with the "All Steampunk Worlds Ever" part. :) Great list!

I would add Raymond E. Feist's worlds, which he describes in detail in a lot of his books. Krondor (and its sequels) is very much on the "sword and sorcery" style, but IMO the most outstanding world-building part of his books lies in the Empire Trilogy, with a feodal society very reminiscent of Japan's shogun era and a quite interesting role in the form of Mara, the main character.

In the same style, the Wheel of Time series is an astounding epic by Robert Jordan totaling more than 3 or 4 thousand pages, so not for the faint of heart!

Also, even if they are perhaps much less known, I have to add Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series as well as Diana Wynne Jones Chronicles of Chrestomanci, two personnal favorites of mine which have a very interesting take on the very common genres of fantasy and science-fiction!

I would add Raymond E. Feist's worlds, which he describes in detail in a lot of his books. Krondor (and its sequels) is very much on the "sword and sorcery" style, but IMO the most outstanding world-building part of his books lies in the Empire Trilogy, with a feodal society very reminiscent of Japan's shogun era and a quite interesting role in the form of Mara, the main character.

In the same style, the Wheel of Time series is an astounding epic by Robert Jordan totaling more than 3 or 4 thousand pages, so not for the faint of heart!

Also, even if they are perhaps much less known, I have to add Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series as well as Diana Wynne Jones Chronicles of Chrestomanci, two personnal favorites of mine which have a very interesting take on the very common genres of fantasy and science-fiction!

I agree with all of your choices!! I haven't read Fatherland yet, but the others: YES! The worldbuilding in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire is mindblowing and I don't think I'll ever forget about those worlds!Also, yay Romancelandia! You know I love historical romance as well, I know: not so historically accurate mostly, but you gotta love the swoonworthy romance and happy endings! :)

So so many great ones. I definitely would love to being in the world of the Harry Potter books. My trip to Orlando was magical I can't imagine if it was bigger and I'd adore a visit to the Night Circus yup that would be fabulous!

My 1 and 2 were Middle Earth and Harry Potter world too! I think those are two of the most well-devleoped worlds in the history of literature. And I have decided right now I need to read more Steampunk. =)

wow, that's a really good list! I can't believe I forgot about His Dark Materials! I really wish that I had a daemon as well. Real life is awesome, but once you finish a really good book I kind of just have to sit there and be like "dang it, just having that one little element in life would be so cool!". Ah well, we can only deal with what we have :)

Harry Potter and Middle Earth are both on my list, therein the similarity ends! Actually, I had a reeeeeally tough time choosing between Gone With The Wind and One Hundred Years of Solitude for the slightly-historical-fiction spot on my Top Ten. The town of Macondo won out, barely. Awesome list, and thank you for putting up the new schedule!

AGREE SO MUCH about the Wizarding World. Everything about Harry Potter, at Hogwarts and beyond, is absolutely enchanting and so thoroughly detailed that it would be difficult to create a list about amazing worlds and settings without including this one as well. (I had to throw it on my list as well! :D )

I've heard SO MUCH about A Song of Ice and Fire. I have yet to read the books or watch the show, but it's on my TBR! Your description of the seven kingdoms only makes me want to get to it faster!

As terrifying as it is, I have to admit that Panem is one of the most vivid settings I've encountered in books, and the arena feels so real that I'd scare myself reading The Hunger Games constantly.

As a classical civilizations major, I approve so much of Homer's Greece being on this list. And YES to everything historical romance ever.

Haha, our top ten start out so similar, but they end so differently! I loved this challenge, though. It was surprising to me how many worlds I left out even when I was done with my ten -- and my ten took effort!

Great list! Middle Earth and Harry Potter ended up on my list as well. I can't believe I didn't think of Panem and Romancelandia, but they're really good choices! I'm thinking about re-reading His Dark Materials, because it's been a few years since I've read it.

I can't believe I didn't even think of Harry Potter! But I did put Middle Earth and the Arena from the Hunger Games. You've got a great list here but I've never heard of Ancient Grease (although I can imagine a pretty fun story taking place there)--I believe it is Ancient Greece *hehehe* kaye—the road goes ever ever on

Darn it! I even wrote this one is word to alleviate spelling mistakes. I am going to blame it on the Grease dance game for Kinect I have been obsessed with lately. Dancing to Grease Lightening has gone to my head.

Ancient Grease sounds like something that may be used in Romancelandia...

Awesome topic this week! At first I thought I was going to have a hard time coming up with some good ones but ended up having way more than 10! :)http://sweet-tidbits.blogspot.com/2012/07/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-most-vivid-book.html

I was thinking about that a lot too when writing this list. I immediately went to the fantastical. Even when I pulled it in to something it was alternate history fiction and vaguely-historical Gone with the Wind.

It is definitely an interesting discussion point. If I had to pick a non-fiction book that had a vivid setting, I would chose Paris In Love by Eloisa James, a memoir about her year spent in France with her family.

Yep! Harry Potter and the Dark Materials made my list too. I keep putting Harry Potter on my lists, but it's all their fault, they're just so incredible in all your listy ways! It was hard to pick these as it was a balance between "you can't have the list without these classics" and trying to list books that not everyone has possibly read before.

Definitely agree with Harry Potter and Gone With the Wind! The Hunger Games made my list too! Here's my Top Ten Tuesday: http://thebookvoyage.blogspot.com/2012/07/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-most-vivid.html

Steampunk worlds are some of my new favorite homes :) I would love to live in a steampunk world but I guess I would have to learn the difference between types of wrenches and you know, how to use tools...

I see that you've already been called out on spelling "Greece" incorrectly, but it seems as though another mistake has been made. Catherine Zeta Jones was NEVER in Xena and therefore definitely didn't portray Xena on TV. The actress who played Xena was Lucy Lawless. Perhaps if they looked alike or at least had similar names I would understand the mix up, but they don't have any similarity to each other in looks or name.

I have three out of ten of yours :-). Check out the map I found and posted on our TTT that combines serveral fictional lands. I think you'll like it. http://mysistersbookshelf.com/top-ten-tuesdays-most-vivid-book-worldssettings/

Definitely agree with HP and the Seven Kingdoms, both of those were on my list too! Love the choice of Gone With The Wind, I would have never thought of it, but it's such a vivid setting and it really seeps into the atmosphere of the book.

Connect with us!

Followers

Subscribe Via E-mail

Subscribe To

Those Sharing In Our Broke and Bookish Ways

Rating System

0 Stars: Did not finish.1 Star: I didn't like this book -- felt more like homework than reading for pleasure.2 Stars: This book needed something different to make me like it.3 Stars: This book was good. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I would recommend based on certain tastes.4 Stars: This book was delightful. I'm glad I read it.5 Stars: I really enjoyed this book. I will probably read it again.5+ Stars: A new favorite.

Full Disclosure:

We are Amazon Affiliates! What does this mean?

Simply put, if you see a book on our blog that strikes your fancy and you would like to buy it, you can click on the link and it will take you to Amazon to purchase it. A percentage of that sale comes back to the folks here at The Broke and Bookish so that we can host awesome giveaways and afford shipping costs. We are so appreciative of those of you who support us through this program. We love to give back to our readers, but don't always have the extra money to do so, seeing as how we are broke college students!